Simone Martin

Determined, Decisive and Dynamic

Simone Martin is an approachable and unconventional regulator, educator, and, most recently, a published author. She has written the book ‘Ten Tips to Help Compliance Officers SOAR!’. With a passion for compliance, she has helped hundreds of compliance professionals in the financial service industry. She has worked as a regulator for over two decades and is also an accomplished compliance educator. She is also a Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute, UK, a Fellow of the International Compliance Association of the UK and a Full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Recently, she was bestowed with the title of ‘Global 200 Women Power Leader 2024′ by White Page International.

She started her journey after a career fair in high school, where she had a sense of what she wanted to do professionally. She recalls that even then, there were several Trust and Corporate Services firms in the British Virgin Islands, and she wanted to know what they did. Having done her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Simone gained experience in the same field when she worked at the BVI Financial Services Commission, where she started as a regulator in 2001 and focused then on investment businesses and hedge funds. 

Now, she is the Director of Special Projects at the BVI Financial Services Commission. Simone is also the Founder and CEO of IGNUS SOLUTIONS LIMITED; a company focused on online compliance training for compliance professionals globally. She has gained diverse experiences across sectors like fiduciary services, insurance, banking and investment business in both the BVI and Anguilla. During her career, she has materially contributed to legislative reform towards ‘right-touch’ regulation. Her hands-on approach applies to prudential and AML/CFT supervision, including leading compliance inspections and helping develop guidance and regulatory reform. 

During her secondment to the Anguilla Financial Services Commission, she participated in all aspects of regulation as a part of the leadership team. She then led the introduction of the Innovation Office and secured membership with GFIN and other initiatives. One of those initiatives contributed to developing the regulatory framework to allow for the licensing of FinTech businesses in Anguilla. For her, 2023 was a pivotal year where she developed and delivered eight courses and a Compliance Officers’ workshop on various topics, including Sanctions to Digital Assets & Compliance, Directors Training, Corporate Governance and more.

Her array of experiences include being:

• Secretary of the Joint Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Committee of the Virgin Islands – 2008 to 2019.
• Core member of the Working Group for Trust and Corporate Service

Providers established by the Group of International Finance Centre Supervisors (“GIFCS”) – 2013 to 2014

• Member of the National Risk Assessment Steering Group of the Virgin Islands – 2014 – 2016
• Financial Examiner for a CFATF Mutual Evaluation – 2008
• Member of FATF Working Groups – 2010 to 2017

Simone describes herself as a transformative leader who always sought to help the staff she has supervised reach higher levels in their professional goals and academic pursuits. She says, “Motivating staff around a corporate vision is key to achieving and surpassing goals. I’m also incredibly goals-oriented!  That has helped me to apply design thinking to some of the more challenging issues I’ve faced, such as assisting with regulatory action in the wake of PanamaPapers and ParadisePapers.”

Simone’s source of inspiration comes from her innate desire to help. She also strives to be an example to others that you don’t need to sacrifice your passion to live a fulfilling life. She mentions, “My goal in an evolving compliance landscape is to be able to help empower thousands of compliance professionals through my platforms. That goal involves IGNUS becoming an internationally recognised brand for high-quality, transformative compliance training and more!”

She skilfully balances the challenges in her profession and personal life by

scheduling, which has been critical to ensure she doesn’t overwhelm herself. Simone emphasises, “When you need assistance to address a challenge, ask for help early from those who can lend a hand. Communicate early. During challenging times, adjustment to ‘life as normal’ will happen. Communicate to those who are affected by the temporary changes. Take breaks. Burnout is a very real occurrence, and I’ve succumbed to it.”  

She thoughtfully shares a message for the readers and says, “When you teach, you learn. When you share, you inspire. Your journey could be an inspiration to others. As you progress through life with all of its adventures and, at times, setbacks, remember that we are capable of so much more than we may think. Rise to the occasion and pursue your passion!”